Jakarta waterparks: Pondok Indah Waterpark vs Waterbom

Jakarta has great waterparks, Pondok Indah Waterpark and Waterbom and both close(ish) to the city center. Which one is the best? I’d say it depends on your kids age.

Waterbom is much bigger, probably twice the size of the Pondok Indah Waterpark, but also much more expensive (Rp280,000 vs 150,000 on weekends). With small kids, Pondok Indah Waterpark just feels easier. It doesn’t offer as many slides but also doesn’t require as much walking in between areas of the park, and climbing to reach the top of the slides. Other bonus points include:

being able to bring our own drinks/snacks (very limited options inside the park)

being attached to Street Gallery Mall (next to Pondok Indah Mall), an F&B only mall a great variety of options like Union, Burgreens, Sate Khas…

Even on weekends, the park is not really busy. We usually spend the morning there, then head to the mall for lunch.

Waterbom has more options for kids big and small, which also meant more walking around. Food was a bit of an issue: our bags were thoroughly checked upon entering and we had to eat in the park (the ticket includes one meal, the Margarita pizza is a safe choice). It was still a really fun day, but we felt the extra hassle and cost wasn’t really worth it.